Hull City won't be pleased to see latest Middlesbrough FC, Ryan Giles development | OneFootball

Hull City may be concerned by defender Ryan Giles' poor start to his loan spell at Middlesbrough.

It has been an incredibly disappointing season for Hull City in the Championship but supporters will be hoping that a busy January transfer window can help to improve their fortunes.

Despite finishing seventh in the Championship last season, Hull made the controversial decision to replace Liam Rosenior with Tim Walter in the summer and it proved to be a disastrous move.

Walter was sacked in November after winning just three of his 18 games in charge and while the Tigers have improved significantly under new head coach Ruben Selles, they are still far from assured of survival.

Hull currently sit 21st in the table, just two points clear of the relegation zone, and the desperate nature of the club's position was highlighted by a chaotic January transfer window.

Ryan Giles will go down as a Hull City transfer flop

As Selles looked to stamp his mark on the squad, Hull brought in eight new players during the January transfer window, with John Egan, Eliot Matazo, Matt Crooks, Nordin Amrabat, Lincoln, Louie Barry, Joe Gelhardt and Kyle Joseph arriving at the MKM Stadium.

In addition, a host of senior players departed the club, and in perhaps the biggest indication of how turbulent the Tigers' season has been, three of those who moved on were summer signings - Anthony Racioppi, Ryan Giles, and Marvin Melhem - while Carl Rushworth and Chris Bedia's loans were cut short.

It is fair to say that, aside from a few notable exceptions, Hull's transfer business this campaign has been largely disappointing, but few players have underwhelmed as much as defender Giles.

Given the way he previously starred in the Championship at Middlesbrough, his signing was seen as a coup for the Tigers when he initially arrived on loan from Luton Town last January, but despite the fact that he lost his place in the team under Rosenior towards the end of last season, the club were obligated to buy him in the summer for a fee in the region of £4 million.

Just weeks after completing a permanent move to the MKM Stadium, Giles was linked with a return to Boro, but a deal did not materialise, and there was hope that Giles could reignite his Hull career under Walter.

However, it did not work out that way, with Walter frequently opting to play right-back Cody Drameh at left-back ahead of Giles, and his fortunes did not improve under Selles, so it was little surprise when he did eventually seal a temporary move to the Riverside Stadium last month.

Hull City will be concerned by Ryan Giles' poor Middlesbrough start

There is no option or obligation for Middlesbrough to buy Giles in the summer at the end of his loan deal, but Hull will certainly be hoping that he can impress enough to convince the Teesside outfit to make a permanent offer.

Giles registered a remarkable 12 assists in 48 appearances during his previous loan stint at Boro as they reached the play-offs in the 2022-23 season, and supporters had long hoped that the 25-year-old would come back to the Riverside Stadium one day.

They got their wish last month as he completed his eagerly anticipated return to the club, but it has been far from a dream homecoming for the defender, who endured a tough time on his first start in the 3-2 defeat to Sunderland on Monday night.

Giles was given a torrid time down the left by Black Cats winger Patrick Roberts, and he came in for criticism from some supporters for his lack of positional awareness and reluctance to track back to help his side out defensively.

To complete a difficult evening for the Hull loanee, he was involved in the game's decisive moment as he deflected Enzo Le Fee's wicked cross into his own net to hand all three points and the local bragging rights to Sunderland.

It would be harsh to attach too much blame to Giles for his own goal, but there are big question marks over whether he will be able to improve a Boro side that have been vulnerable at the back this season, even if he will give them an increased attacking threat.

Head coach Michael Carrick is known to be a huge admirer of Giles, and the defender himself has stated that he would like to make the move permanent in the summer, but Hull may be a little worried after his challenging start to life back at the Riverside Stadium as they will not want to see their asset devalued.